Having recently looked at what you should do after having a hip replacement I thought we should also look at what to do after having a knee replacement.

Like hip replacements, knee replacements are a very common orthopaedic procedure which are predominantly done to relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis in the knee. Due to an aging population and also due to advances in surgery meaning that the procedure is offered at a younger age, they are becoming much more common. The following are a few handy hints on how best to recover from a knee replacement:

1. See a physiotherapist as soon as possible

Obviously in hospital you will have seen a physio but once you have been sent home it is vital that you see a physiotherapist as soon as possible to get that knee moving, progress your exercises and get the most out of your knee replacement.

Chances are that if you have had the operation via the NHS then you will have been automatically referred onto community or outpatient physiotherapy, however there is often a significant period of time to wait until an appointment becomes available. In this case it is wise to book an appointment with a private physiotherapist, so that you can start that rehab as early as possible.

2. Get as much physiotherapy as possible

Commonly your NHS physiotherapist will be swamped with patients and they are unlikely to be able to see you very often. It is important, especially in the first few months that you have regular access to good quality physiotherapy. In this case it is a good idea to supplement your NHS physiotherapy appointments with a private physio who will be able to see you when the NHS physio can't.

3. Be diligent with your rehab

At the end of the day, the most important person in your recovery is you! After a knee replacement, it is vital that you do the exercises and work on improving range of motion and strength. If you don't work hard at this then your results will not be as good as you hoped for.

Now I think it is reasonable to give a slight disclaimer here, I am a physiotherapist in private practice and some people may say that I could be slightly biased about advising patients to get more physiotherapy than the NHS can provide.

In all honesty though I truly believe that if you had a major operation like a knee replacement then you want to give yourself the very best chance of having a good recovery and supplementing the free service from the NHS with a private physiotherapist seems like a good investment to me. The NHS physiotherapists are hugely overburdened and will do their best to see you when they can but it is highly unlikely that they will supply you with an optimal amount of intervention in order to make the best progress you can, in which case investing in private physiotherapy for your rehab is going to pay huge dividends.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this blog post. For anyone reading this blog who hasn't come across our site before: we are a home visit physiotherapy service, based in Lichfield but serving anywhere within a 25 minute drive including areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Cannock, Burton and Rugeley. We offer a wide range of services including paediatric physiotherapy, post-operative rehabilitation, neurological physiotherapy and neck and back pain relief. If you need further information or would like to book an appointment we can be contacted on 0788 428 1623 or via enquiries@threespiresphysiotherapy.co.uk